I know very little about computers, so I'm not sure what details are important. My PC worked normally yesterday, but after moving it back to my family's house, it now refuses to boot. When I press the power button, the lights flash and it makes its usual startup sound, then shuts off and repeats the same cycle endlessly. I checked that the cables were connected the same way as before, and the computer was wrapped carefully during the move. This has happened occasionally in the past and was usually fixed by unplugging the power cable briefly, but that no longer works. The front has two indicator lights, including one that flashes blue and red during each failed startup. What should I check?
4 Answers
Try starting with the simplest setup: disconnect extra USB devices, additional monitors, and other accessories, leaving only one monitor and a keyboard connected. If you have a graphics card, make sure the monitor cable is plugged into the graphics card rather than the motherboard’s video port. Also open the case and look for diagnostic LEDs or a beep pattern on the motherboard. The motherboard manual should explain what different lights or flash sequences mean.
If the computer uses an older mechanical hard drive, movement could have contributed to a drive failure, but a bad drive usually doesn’t cause the entire PC to lose power repeatedly. Check the motherboard indicators first, since the loop more often points to power, memory, graphics, or another hardware initialization problem.
Test a different wall outlet, preferably in another room that may be on a separate electrical circuit. If you have another compatible power cable, try that too. A faulty outlet, cable, or power supply can cause the computer to start for a second and immediately shut down.
Disconnect the power cable, hold the computer’s power button for about 30–60 seconds, then reconnect it and try again. This can discharge leftover power and sometimes clears a startup problem. If it still loops, reseating the internal power connectors, memory, and graphics card may be worthwhile since something could have shifted during transport.
The front panel has two lights, and both flash during the attempted startup before everything stops. I’ll check whether the motherboard has separate diagnostic lights and try booting with only one monitor.